PEANUTS: The Next ChapterEpisode 42: Dolores's Dilemma
by HPDrummerman
Summary: Dolores has not introduced Jose Peterson to her parents yet. She's afraid that they won't accept him because he's not a full-blooded Mexican. But Charlie Brown and the others try to convince her that they shouldn't have a problem with Jose. Marcie and Hans plan on doing as much together as they can before he moves away. (Special guest Claudia and Skylar by LivingOnLaughs)
1. Chapter 1

Episode 42: Dolores's Dilemma

**CHAPTER 1: DECISIONS, DECISIONS!**

Charlie Brown, Frieda, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, and Dolores were waiting for the bus. All had settled into middle school pretty well. Even Charlie Brown had not had any problems like he did in grade school, and was considered for the middle school baseball team once the season would start in the spring. So all in all, things were going well for the blockhead. Dolores on the other hand, had a lot on her mind.

"Hey Dolores," Frieda began, "penny for your thoughts, hun?"

"Oh, I'm just worried about what my parents will think of Jose," said Dolores, with some nervousness in her voice.

"You haven't introduced Peterson to your folks yet?!" said Lucy, getting wind of the conversation. "Most, if not all, of us know you two are together by now! Why hasn't he met your parents?"

"They have these wishes for me to date a Mexican boy," Dolores replied. "They're stuck in the dark ages."

"Isn't Jose Mexican?" asked Linus.

"He's half-Mexican, half-Swedish, Linus," Charlie Brown replied. Turning to Dolores, he said, "Dolores, your parents should be accepting of Jose. Why would they have a problem with him being only half-Mexican?"

"I don't know, Charles," said a sad Dolores. "I just want him to like him like I do."

"If he makes you happy, they should be happy for you," said Lucy.

"Very rarely do I say this, but Lucy's right," said Linus. "Your parents has always been nice and accepting to all of us. Why wouldn't they be accepting to Jose?"

"I don't know," shrugged Dolores. "They've always had some expectations for me, though. I do hope they like Jose."

"They will, Dolores," assured Charlie Brown. And the bus showed up to take the kids to school.

Later that day, Marcie and Hans were chatting between classes. They were making weekend plans. Hans's moving day was getting closer and they wanted to make the most of the time they had left together before he had to move back to Germany.

"So how does that new exhibit at the museum sound?" suggested Marcie.

"It's good, fraulein," said Hans.

"Then we could meet up with everyone at Joe's," Marcie continued. "I just want to make the best of this while we are still together, Hans."

"I do too, Marcie," agreed Hans. Peppermint Patty and Franco walked up.

"Hey, you two," greeted Patty. "So what's the plan for the weekend?"

"Hans and I are going to the museum to check out that new exhibit," said Marcie.

"What's it called?" asked Franco.

"It's called 'Muscles in Motion*'," said Marcie. "It features actual preserved cadavers with their skin stripped only revealing their muscles and veins in various poses."

"Sounds gruesome," said Patty with disgust. "Not only are you weird, Marcie, but pretty morbid, too. Count me out!"

"It's your call, sir," shrugged Marcie. "But Hans and I will enjoy it."

"Well Franco and I will be seeing that new action movie at the theater," said Patty. "It's the new Ray Raymondson flick that just got released."

"Sounds gory to me, sir," said Marcie.

"Says the girl who's going to see actual corpses in various poses," Patty retorted.

"Touché, sir."

"And stop calling me 'sir'!"

**NEXT CHAPTER: REHEARSING WITH THE CHOIR**

(*) That is actually based on "Bodies In Motion" exhibit. It was shown at my local museum multiple times-HPDrummerman


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: THE PROBLEM WITH MS. FABULOUS**

Later that day was choir rehearsal. All of the kids were getting ready for the upcoming Christmas concert they were putting on. Frieda proved to be quite the soloist. All were supportive of her, with the lone exception of one Francessa Fabulous. She wanted to lead the choir and made no bones about it. She often got in trouble and ended up in the principal's office, earning her enough detentions to last a lifetime. Even her older brother, Freddy, was tired of her bad attitude. While he could have a bit of an ego himself at times, he mainly used it on the track field, and left it there, as well. Francessa was always on full diva mode, and it made the other kids sick.

This particular day, they were going through the entire show. In addition to Frieda, Lucy, Violet, and Peppermint Patty had all gotten some solo parts. Schroeder would play piano and co-direct the singers, along with the teacher, which made Lucy proud. Also good news was that some of the other boys would be part of the pit orchestra, including Charlie Brown, Linus, Franklin, Pig Pen, and Dominick, to name a few. But the one person not happy with any of it decided to make a fuss about it with a tantrum that would do Sally Brown proud.

"I should be the one soloing!" Francessa whined. "Not the Chrism Curly Locks over here!"

"Quit your complaining, you blockhead!" groaned Lucy.

"Frieda won this spot fair and square!" added Peppermint Patty. "You're just jealous because no one wanted to see a young girl prance around like she was Britney Spears!"

"So get your act together," warned Violet, "or we will get it together for you!" Francessa stopped her complaining at that point, but continued to sulk the rest of class.

"Thanks, girls," said a grateful Frieda. "I was getting tired of that girl badmouthing me. She kept it up I may have, as Marcie would say, belted her across the chops."

"I probably would have beaten you to the punch, Frieda," said Lucy. "No pun intended."

"All right are we ready?" asked Schroeder from behind the piano.

"Ready, honey," cooed Lucy to her boyfriend.

"Okay, let's take it from the top."

And the choir went through each song. Frieda did great with her solo number, as did Lucy, Violet, and Peppermint Patty on their song they did together. The pit orchestra was rehearsing separately during a different period. They would get together with the choir for some Monday night rehearsals.

Francessa continued to sulk during class. She was so upset about not getting picked for being a soloist, it was all she talked about for the past few months since school started. Sometime during rehearsal she started tearing up. The practice stopped when the girl started wailing loud.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"What in the world?" said a confused Schroeder.

"Francessa, what's the matter?" asked Patty.

"I SH-SH-SHOULD BE UP THERE SOLOING, BUT I'M N-N-N-N-NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" she sobbed.

"Oh good grief!" sighed Schroeder.

"WHY AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH?!" wailed Francessa. "WHY IS CURLY LOCKS BETTER THAN ME?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!" And she continued to cry hard.

"BECAUSE SHE'S ACTUALLY PRACTICES HER SINGING RATHER THAN TRY TO BE THE NEXT PUSSYCAT DOLL!" yelled Lucy.

By that time, Francessa was inconsolable, Lucy was fuming, Violet was annoyed, Peppermint Patty shook her head, Schroeder slammed his head on the keys of the piano in frustration. Frieda, meanwhile, took a more diplomatic approach.

"Francessa," she began, calming the blonde-haired pigtailed girl down, "maybe we got off on the wrong foot. I am not competition to you, hun. In fact, other than the talent show a couple of years back, we are not competitors. We are both in this class together. You may be chosen to be a soloist for our next performance after this one."

"R-really?" asked Francessa, finally calming down.

"Sure. And I'll even help you. You just can't be doing those kind of dance moves in school. It's okay to dance while you're singing, but we are kids and we shouldn't be dancing like that. It's good to be fans of certain pop stars; just don't emulate some of their moves because it may not be appropriate for school. But as I said, I will work with you with singing and even getting better. You do have potential, Francessa. You just have to work on it some. You understand?"

Francessa wiped her tears away. She said to Frieda softly, "I'm sorry for how I acted towards you. Can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, hun," Frieda smiled. "We're good. I just want to start over as friends. Can we start over, Francessa?"

"I'd like that, Frieda." And the two girls hugged each other. Everyone smiled. The teacher breathed a sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to send Francessa to the principal's office for the 20th time.

"Uh, can we get back to rehearsal now?" asked Schroeder. And the rest of the hour went on without incident. Francessa and Frieda had finally made peace with each other, and they would work together on getting Francessa's singing better.

**NEXT CHAPTER: SEEKING ADVICE**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: NECESITO UN CONSEJO**

After school, Lucy was at her Psychiatric booth leaning back, enjoying the late fall weather. She had to brush some leaves off her booth, but otherwise didn't mind it, as it was just cool weather, not freezing cold. While Charlie Brown did still see her for some advice, not as much as he used to, though, she had been getting others coming to see her. This particular day, Dolores was walking up towards her.

"Hola, Lucy," she greeted.

"Oh hey, Dolores," Lucy greeted back. "What's on your mind?"

Dolores took a seat on the stool. "As you know, I've been dating Jose Peterson for quite a while. He is a wonderful boy. I'm just trying to figure out how I can tell my parents about him. They always talking about how 'one day I will find a fine Mexican boy to take care of me' and all, but while Jose DOES have Mexican in him, he's also Swedish. I don't know if they will accept him as being half-Mexican. I never thought of my parents as being prejudice or anything; I just hope they will accept him as he is."

"I get what you're saying, Dolores," said Lucy. "You want your parents to be happy for you, no matter who your boyfriend is. As long as he makes you happy, they should accept it, right?"

"Exactly," said Dolores.

"Well I say just introduce them to Jose. If they see that you're happy with him, they should accept him, especially if he treats you with respect."

"He does."

"That's all that should matter to them. Five cents please."

Around that same time Charlie Brown and Frieda were at Joe's Café for a bite to eat. They were discussing what had happened that afternoon in choir with Francessa's meltdown.

"I think she just needed a friend to tell her she was okay," said Frieda. "I figured if no one else was going to break the ice with her, I should do it. And for the rest of the day, she was pretty pleasant."

"Wow!" said Charlie Brown. "I never thought that Francessa would ever humble up."

"I know, sweetie. I just think she needed a friend so she could actually be herself and not this larger than life diva." At that moment, Freddy Fabulous walked in and met up with the couple.

"Hey, Pumpkinhead," he greeted Charlie Brown.

"Speak of the devil," said Charlie Brown. "We were just talking about your sister, Freddy."

"I heard about what happened in choir today with her," Freddy responded. Turning to Frieda he said, "I just came to thank you for what you did for Francessa. She was pretty much a loner for a long time and always acted like a diva. I knew she needed to have friends, but she was always shy about getting friendly. So she made this diva personality to safeguard herself. I think getting passed over for soloist finally cracked her."

"Well I figured if no one else was going to step up, I would," said Frieda. "And I will be working with her to get her singing better. She does have potential, Freddy. She just needs some fine-tuning."

"You're lucky to have a caring girl like that, Brown," said Freddy.

"I am, Freddy," agreed Charlie Brown, hugging Frieda.

"Well, I'm going to get a bite to eat. Talk to you later, you two." And Freddy went to order his food.

"He's right, you know," said Frieda. "You are lucky to have someone like me, as I am lucky to have someone like you, baby." And she kissed Charlie Brown, making him smile.

**NEXT CHAPTER: A DAY OUT ON THE TOWN AND INTRODUCTIONS**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: ONE BUSY SATURDAY**

The weekend had arrived. And all of the kids were doing something. Charlie Brown and Frieda were meeting up with Linus and Eudora to go to the movies together, Lucy and Schroeder went to a Tiny Tots concert that was doing Beethoven music, Franklin and Melanie went to a flea market, Violet, Patty, Shermy, and Ox all went to the indoor ice arena for some ice skating, Cobra, Dominick, Rattler, and Thibault went to a trade show at the arena downtown, and Peppermint Patty and Franco were going to Joe's for an afternoon date.

While at Joe's, Peppermint Patty and Franco noticed Claudia walking with a boy, holding hands. While Patty knew who he was, Franco had yet to meet this new kid.

"Hey, Claude," greeted Patty.

"Guten Tag, Claudia," greeted Franco.

"And how are you, Skylar?" asked Patty.

"Pretty good, Patty," said Skylar, the boy with Claudia.

"F-Franco, have you m-met my boyfriend Skylar y-y-yet?" asked Claudia.

"Nein, Claudia," Franco responded.

"Franco, this is Skylar," Patty said, doing the introductions.

"Are you autistic like Claudia?" asked Franco.

"No," said Skylar, "but I have some health issues of my own. I am diabetic, and asthmatic. I always have to regulate my blood-sugar levels, in addition to keeping my airways open with my inhaler."

"He is p-pretty active, though," added Claudia. "You'd b-be surprised what Skylar can do." And the two couples continued to talk as Franco got to know Skylar.

Elsewhere, Marcie and Hans had just left the museum. They were going to meet up with Patty and Franco at Joe's. They had a great time together and were trying to do as much as they could before he left.

"Did I tell you, Claudia got herself a boyfriend," said Marcie.

"Really?" said Hans. "What's his name?"

"His name is Skylar," Marcie responded. "A nice boy. Has asthma and diabetes, though. He is a bit of a prankster. Though he can be as anxious as Peppermint Patty, at times."

"I'd like to meet this new boy," said Hans.

"Claudia told me she'd be at Joe's with him today," Marcie replied. "They might be there now." And the two of them continued to Joe's.

At that moment, Dolores and Jose were walking to Dolores's house. She figured it was now or never with introducing him to her parents. Jose took notice of Dolores's nervousness.

"Everything okay, mi amor?" he asked.

"Just a bit nervous, Jose," said Dolores. "I just hope my mamá and papa likes you."

"Don't worry, babe," said Jose. "No matter what happens, I will always care about you and love you." Dolores looked at Jose. She knew he meant every word he said.

_I was born in Lil' Rock  
Had a childhood sweetheart  
We were always hand in hand  
I was high-top shoes and shirt tails  
Dolores (Suzy) was in pig tails  
I know I loved her even then  
You know my papa disapproved it  
My mama boohooed it  
But I told them time and time again  
"Don't you know I was made to love her  
Built a world all around her"  
Yah! Hey, hey, hey  
She's been my inspiration  
Showed appreciation  
For the love I gave her through the years  
Like a sweet magnolia tree  
My love blossomed tenderly  
My life grew sweeter through the years  
I know that my baby loves me  
My baby needs me  
That's why we made it through the years  
I was made to love her  
Worship and adore her  
Hey, hey, hey  
All through thick and thin  
Our love just won't end  
'Cause I love my baby, love my baby. Ah!  
My baby loves me  
My baby needs me  
And I know I ain't going nowhere  
I was knee high to a chicken  
When that love bug bit me  
I had the fever with each passing year  
Oh, even if the mountain tumbles  
If this whole world crumbles  
By her side I'll still be standing there  
'Cause I was made to love her  
I was made to live for her, yeah!  
Ah, I was made to love her  
Built my world all around her  
Hey, hey, hey  
_

As the two kids approached her house, Dolores told Jose to wait in the foyer until she got both her parents in the same room. They went in and Jose waited for her to tell him to come in. Her parents was in the living room and she began the introductions, signaling for Jose to come out.

"Mamá, papá, este es José Peterson," she introduced.

"Hola señor y señorita," greeted Jose. As it turned out, Dolores's worrying was for naught, as her parents took a liking to Jose. They got to know the boy and about his love for baseball, as well as their daughter. He father thought he was a level-headed boy and approved of him dating his little girl. The mother was just happy that Dolores was happy and also approved of Jose. Dolores sighed with relief. And she was happy her parents liked Jose and approved of their dating.

**NEXT CHAPTER: LINUS GETS THE SHOCK OF HIS LIFE!**

"**I Was Made to Love Her"** written by Henry Cosby / Lula Mae Hardaway / Stevie Wonder / Sylvia Moy

© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: BLAST FROM THE PAST**

At the Van Pelt home, Lucy was on the phone with Dolores. She was telling Lucy about how things went with her parents in regards to Jose. Lucy was happy that things worked out with Dolores and Jose.

"It's like I told you, Dolores," said Lucy, "they will like him. And they did."

"You were right, Lucy," said Dolores on the other end. "They accepted Jose, and even invited him to dinner next week so they can get to know him and his family."

"That's great, Dolores," said a happy Lucy. "That just shows you your parents care about you enough to accept any boyfriend that treats you right. Anyway I have to get going. I'm meeting up with Cobra and Rattler in a few minute. Talk to you later."

"Okay Lucy. Hablaré contigo más tarde."

Lucy hung up the phone and went to wait for the Serpents. Linus came walking up. "So did things work out with Dolores?"

"They did, Linus," said Lucy, with a smile. "Just shows she was worried for nothing."

"Yeah," agreed Linus. The phone rang again. "I'll get it, Lucy."

Linus picked up the phone and answered it. "Hello? Yes, this is he. Oh! Hey. How have you been? Really? You're what?! Okay. I guess I'll see you later then." He hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" asked Lucy.

"You're not going to believe it," said a shocked Linus. "That was Truffles."

"You mean that girl you and Snoopy met while hunting for actual truffles?"

"The one in the same. She just told me that she was coming back to visit her grandfather and wanted to see me."

"She knows you have a girlfriend now, right?"

"Oh no! I forgot to tell her!" Before he could call her back, the phone rang again. Linus answered it. "Hello? Mary Jo?! You're coming to visit? And you want to see me?"

"Oh brother!" sighed Lucy.

"Um, okay, but I think you should- Hello?"

"Another old girlfriend, little brother?"

"Yeah, that girl who had a blanket like mine."

"Oh yeah, the one girl you stole from Charlie Brown."

"I never stole her from him."

"Maybe not, but he WAS in love with that girl." Before Linus could retort, another phone call came in.

"Hello? This is Linus. MELODY MELODY?!"

"The girl who won the Punt-And-Pass contest?" wondered Lucy.

"You're coming to town, too?!"

And one by one, Linus kept getting phone call after phone call. Tapioca Pudding called him, though they never dated, but were just friends. Later Mimi, who once sang to Linus, also called and said she was coming to visit, as well. Also Lydia, who was calling herself Victoria that day, said she was passing through for a short visit and wanted to see Linus, even though she still thought he was too old for her.

After the last call, an exasperated Linus said, "Lucy! All of my past flames are coming to visit at the same time! And I have a girlfriend in Eudora! What is she going to think about all of this?!"

"I don't know, Linus," said Lucy. "But it looks to me you are experiencing an Attack of the Ex's!"

**TO BE CONTINUED IN EPISODE 43: "ATTACK OF THE EX'S"**


End file.
